Convocation & Pastors' School

For Clergy and Laity of All Christian Traditions

Monday, October 13, 2025 | 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Early bird registration is July 14 - August 31. General registration is September 1 - September 28.

In-person For Alumni For Church Staff For Clergy For Laity For UMC Clergy General Audience

The annual Convocation & Pastors’ School is an intensive multi-day conference that offers lectures, worship, alumni gatherings, and seminars for clergy and laity of all traditions. Led by scholars and practitioners from Duke University and beyond, this event is a cooperative endeavor with the North Carolina and Western North Carolina Conferences of the United Methodist Church, The Duke Endowment, The Parish Ministry Fund, and Duke Divinity School.

This year's theme is Trinitarian Matters: Shaping Christian Identity and Practice.

This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Church that met in 325 CE. At Nicaea, early Christians discerned essential Christian doctrine related to the Triune God, Christology, and the Holy Spirit. Join us for presentations and workshops exploring the significance of our Trinitarian doctrine for faithful Christian practice as we commemorate this important milestone.

Speakers

Smiling woman with long brown hair in white shirt. Sitting down next to a green lamp

Kate Bowler

Associate Professor of American Religious History, Duke Divinity School

Anne Lamott

Bestselling Novelist and Essayist

Janet Martin Soskice

William K. Warren Distinguished Research Professor of Catholic Theology, Duke Divinity School

J. Warren Smith

Professor of Historical Theology, Duke Divinity School

Preachers

Man in clergy collar, purple shirt standing with his arms crossed

Bishop Michael B. Curry

27th presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church

Jerusha Neal stands in the archways next to Duke Chapel in a read dress with long beaded necklace

Jerusha Matsen Neal

Associate Professor of Homiletics

Seminars

The seminars offered during Convocation & Pastors' School are a wonderful
opportunity to enjoy small group learning with Duke Divinity faculty, guest
lecturers, and other attendees. Participants who attend two seminars and all
plenary lectures will receive one Continuing Education Unit (CEU). When
registering, participants will have the opportunity to choose one seminar for
each day for a total of two different seminars.

The list of seminars for the 2025 Convocation & Pastors' School will be announced in the coming months.

	Early Bird Rate July 8 – August 31	Standard Rate September 1 – September 29	On-site Rate
Clergy	$130	$170	$230
Laity	$130	$170	$230
Reduced rate available for first time clergy or lay attendee	$70	$110	$230
Scholarship rate available for pastors of UMC churches eligible for grants from The Duke Endowment	$60	$80	$230
Current Duke students	$30	$60	$230
Duke Divinity staff and faculty	$30	$60	$230

Early bird registration is July 8 - August 31
General registration is September 1 - September 29

The daily schedule for the 2025 Convocation & Pastors' School will be released this summer.

Lodging and Access

Lodging reservations should be made directly with hotels.

We offer the following list as a convenience:

The Hilton Garden Inn, near Duke's East Campus at 2102 West Main Street
The Washington Duke Inn, (919) 490-0999
The JB Duke Hotel, (919) 660-6400
The Homewood Suites by Hilton Durham-Chapel Hill, (919) 401-0610
The Hilton Durham near Duke University
The Courtyard Marriott Durham, (919) 309-1500

Additional hotel information may be found at the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Access

Duke University is committed to providing access to programs for persons with
disabilities. If you anticipate needing accommodations or have questions about
physical access, please contact 919-660-3400 in advance of the program.

2022: "Creativity and Courage: From Trauma to Tough Hope" Videos

Opening Worship with Bishop Leonard Fairley preaching
Plenary 1: Makoto Fujimura and Ellen Davis, Looking in Hope
Plenary 2: Ekklesia Contemporary Dance Company, Body and Land
Plenary 3: Peter Storey, Wanted for a Time Such as This: A Church the World Might Take Seriously
Plenary 4: Freddie Moore, Paiter Van Yperen, Luke Powery, Lament

2021: "Uncommon Ground: Living with Humility, Patience, and Tolerance in a Divided Age" Videos

The 2021 virtual CPS consisted of five separate sessions. The first two days featured Claude Alexander of The Park Church, musician Sara Groves John Inazu of Washington University in St. Louis, and Warren Kinghorn of Duke Divinity School.

Uncommon Ground, Day 1
Uncommon Ground, Day 2
Tru Pettigrew, Activating the Power of Inclusion
Jan Holton, Pastoral Care in Times of Division
Ellen Davis, The Beauty of Holiness

2020: "Christian Leadership in Turbulent Times" Videos

The 2020 virtual CPS consisted of five webinars:

Will Willimon, Leadership and Preaching
L. Gregory Jones, Navigating the Future in the Midst of Heavy Fog
Regina Graham and Warren Kinghorn, Mental Health, COVID, and Racial Divisions
Alma Ruiz, Leadership and Trauma
Stephen Chapman and Laceye Warner, Light to the Nations

2018: “Neighboring in a Post-Christendom World” Audio

Two sermons by Cynthia Hale, founder and senior pastor of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, G.A.
- Cynthia Hale: Monday Worship in Goodson Chapel and Tuesday Worship in Duke Chapel.
A lecture by David Goatley, research professor of theology and Black Church Studies and director of the Office of Black Church Studies at Duke Divinity School, titled "Aiming for the Ditch."
A lecture by Ian Douglas, missiologist and bishop diocesan of The Episcopal Church in Connecticut, on the topic of "Participating in God’s Mission: Ecclesial Lessons from the Post Christendom Frontier."
A conversation with L. Gregory Jones, former dean of the Divinity School and Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Jr. Distinguished Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry, and Christine Pohl, Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics at Asbury Theological Seminary, on the topic of "Reweaving the Social Fabric: Hospitality, Community, and Learning to be Good Neighbors."

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Registration will open July 14, 2025

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